When Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York City, named Lillian Bonsignore as the next commissioner of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), few could have predicted the storm it would cause. Within hours, criticism spread online, but not from a local person; it was led by one of the world's most outspoken billionaires.
On Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, Elon Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter), 'People will die because of this.' His claim, intended to highlight concerns about Bonsignore's promotion, triggered an immediate backlash and sparked debate across the Atlantic over who defines 'competence' in public service. Musk's post responded directly to a video showing that Bonsignore, who has long served in the department, has never been a frontline firefighter.
